Ups and Downs
Bobby Krahling / Pastoral Resident and Re:gen Leader
A brief thought of what God has been showing me …
It has been an intense month for sure. Sometimes being a pastor has its ups and downs. The ups are that you get to share in people’s celebrations and victories. You get to point people back to Jesus, pray with them and share your testimony and experience of how God has saved you from the pit of hell.
It’s also a privilege to shepherd people through a movement, ministry, and trying time.
It gets difficult when ministering to family members, especially when a family member dies. I suppose it’s a cross all of us pastors must bear. My cousin died suddenly on December 28, and I had about two days to prepare but it really came down to one full day. It was right before leaving for a trip to Florida and people seemed to forget that we were grieving too.
Long story short, I felt complete peace before the funeral. Most importantly, I was excited to share God’s Word with everyone there and celebrate the fact that Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin so that we may experience eternal life.
It was a blessing, and I had many come up to me and thank me for sharing the Gospel. All praise and glory go to Him. I know that when I am weak, He is strong. I just need to get out of the way and be obedient to what He is calling me to.
I shared this thought from Step 3 of Re:generation and this scripture and I will leave them both with you all:
Whether you are a high priest or a criminal under a death sentence for awful crimes, you fall short of God’s standard. But God loves you. If you realize your need for mercy and turn to Him, He will receive you-no matter how great your sins. God loves you too much to leave you trapped by sin and a perfect standard that you can’t reach. Jesus will recover every heart that turns to Him.
“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:37-40